Certain techniques are presently existent by which lights may be turned on and off, may be rotated or otherwise treated to improve the visual observational effects of the light to better attract attention thereto for safety or other reasons. In particular, police cars utilize a light mounted atop the vehicle which is rotated or flashed by turning on and off and which is housed in a blue cover whereby same can be readily observed during emergency or other situations when it is desirable for the driver of the car to actuate the light. Likewise, emergency vehicles, ambulances, wreckers and the like find need for similar lights to attract attention and thereby alert the general public in an immediate vicinity of the passing presence of the vehicle. Once the vehicle is visually observed, pedestrians and other drivers can immediately move out of the way of the vehicle and thus not impede the vehicle in its intended mission.
In certain situations, emergency vehicles having a flashing light atop of the car are not visually identifiable as same, particularly in heavy traffic where the emergency vehicle is close behind another vehicle and the field of vision of the rear view mirror of the front vehicle does not permit observation of the flashing light. The present invention provides a system for modulation of the head lights of the emergency vehicle which are in line of sight through the rear view mirror and thus could be readily recognizeable by a private citizen in the event the emergency vehicle is located immediately behind him. The private citizen could thus move out of the way and permit the vehicle to pass to its destination.
A further very definite area of need from a safety standpoint is found in the use of motorcycles, motorbikes or the like. Many states presently require, by law, that a motorcycle driven on a public highway burn the head light at all times to foster visual recognition of the cycle. Even though this precaution is taken, there are still large numbers of fatalities that occur, involving motorcycles where conventional vehicles have pulled into the path of an oncoming motorcycle, the driver of the conventional vehicle not having realized that the motorcycle was in the vicinity. In other words, the constant burning of the head light, while an improvement is apparently not sufficient to totally alert others in an area of the presence of the cycle in the same general area. Additionally, other safety lights such as stop lights, boat lights and the like are fraught with the same disadvantages, in that, though lights are burning, it is oftentimes difficult for one in the general vicinity to observe same. The present invention provides a means to modify the above problems by modulating the intensity of the lights at a rate such that there is never a loss of intensity of the light which could cause damage to a filament as well as an excessive loss of power, but which modulates at a rate that a normal sight path of a glance would receive modulation. A better visual detection system of the existence of the safety light is thus provided whether a stop light, boat light, motorcycle light, police car or emergency vehicle light or the like.
There is no known prior art that would teach or suggest the light modulation system of the present invention.